


Not Robots

by caerynlae



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: can be read as either strong friendship or hints of more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 08:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11180502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caerynlae/pseuds/caerynlae
Summary: Takes place on the evening after 2x04. After the submarine mission, Walter and Happy need to process what happened. Walter’s POV.





	Not Robots

It’s dark by now and the area around the garage has fallen relatively silent. But tonight, it still feels too loud to me. Everything seems too loud after the silence deep down in the ocean with a dysfunctional submarine.

My arms are resting on the railing and I glance up at the night sky, my eyes immediately seeking out my favourite constellations that are visible at this time of the year. It helps to relax the tension in my shoulders a little, but not much. Despite how often it happens and that I’m always willing to head into danger again, it is always hard to relax right after a near-death experience.

Looking back at it now, I can’t believe Happy and I actually talked about feelings. And while someone else was still around as well. Of course, I know that neither Happy nor I are robots and that we indeed do have feelings. But we usually keep them buried, aware of them but not acknowledging them.

I hear the door open behind me and someone walking onto the terrace roof. I don’t turn around because I know who it is – Happy is the only one still at the garage.

She leans with her back against the railing next to me. Her first glance also going up to look at the night sky. For a while we just stand next to each other in companionable silence. Drawing comfort from not being alone, knowing the other understands but neither of us wanting to, or being able to, vocalize what we are thinking. That is how Happy and I often recover together after an intense mission.

But tonight Happy decides to break the silence. 

“You know, it took us nearly dying on a submarine before we even admitted to each other that we have emotions. And let’s face it, we both knew that, we both know that you and me are very similar. Toby doesn’t get me, you heard him. It hurts, when he calls us robotic.” Happy takes a deep breath. She admitted to a particular feeling out aloud. That is a very big deal for us. She really surprised me, talking so freely. I’m incapable of doing that and until now, the same was true for Happy. 

Happy continues, “Why can’t he see that I do have emotions, that I just handle them differently? You understand that and that means a lot to me. After what we said on the sub, I don’t want our walls to go back up. I want us to be able to talk about things like this in the future, be there for each other. Because obviously no one else gets us.”

Happy falls silent. I analyse what she said. I understand and even agree but I don’t know if I can do it. The silence stretches, with anyone else it would be an uncomfortable silence by now. But Happy understands, she patiently waits for me to process. Finally, I feel ready to answer, each word carefully selected and evaluated several times.

“I agree. And you can always talk to me, I just don’t know if I will be able to manage to talk myself.”

“That’s okay, O’Brien. Let’s try, that’s all I’m suggesting.” Comfortable silence falls again. Eventually we move to sit down at the group of chairs a bit further over. As the night progresses, we both work through what happened during the day over and over, each in their own mind. Analysing, verifying that we always made optimal decisions. Not being able to spot any glaring mistakes, even in the umpteenth analysis, we slowly relax.

Eventually our knees - my right, Happy’s left - end up touching. Any other two people would’ve not even realised, just a casual brush of contact between friends. But for us it’s a milestone. I’m hyperaware of the touch the second it happens, my knee seemingly feeling hundred degrees warmer at the point of contact. (Although my mind quickly points out that _that_ is impossible.) We don’t acknowledge it but we both know that the other is aware and aware of its significance – the significance that neither of us has pulled away yet.

Maybe together we can slowly learn to become less robotic, express more emotions. No one else seems to have the patience with us that it requires. But we do for each other, because we understand. We _know_ that we are not robots, even if no one else believes us.


End file.
